New Chris Mason Poem About Normal's Books And Records

Normal's Books and Records
 425 E. 31st St.
  Baltimore
   Maryland


  Filling in

at register so

  Rupert can

go to Post Office

  see used book

just brought in - book of

  my poems

I gave girl I liked

  thirty years

back - inscribed "ill-met

  by moonlight

proud Titania".

  Coffee stains,

finger-smudge, corners

  of pages

curling, spine bloated

  or spine cracked,

books sent out come back

  older. The

flautist performing

  at Normal's

Books and Records, her

  notes altered

electronically,

  is daughter

of director of

  J.S. Bach

Society my

  mother in

Minneapolis

  sang Bach in,

their notes in moonlight

  now dispersed.

Each book on shelf at

  Normal's once

lay open, face down,

  on someone's

stomach, half-asleep,

  half-mouthing

words just read to self.


------Chris Mason

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